1. Field
Embodiments generally relate to a method and apparatus for displaying graphical objects, and more specifically, to method and apparatus for displaying graphical objects in a grid within a graphical user interface.
2. Description of the Related Art
Graphical objects, such as webpage banners, images and the like, are often displayed as a collection of thumbnail previews in a grid within a graphical user interface (GUI), such as an Internet browser. Such a grid comprises multiple rectangular cells arranged in an array. The purpose of providing the thumbnail preview is to allow quick and easy visualization of multiple graphical objects in a single view within the GUI. Such a presentation may be used during web page design to enable convenient identification and selection of objects for use in the page, or merely for storing objects for convenient review.
However, a thumbnail preview of graphical object(s) that have an extended aspect ratio presents various problems. For example, graphical objects with an extended aspect ratios such as graphical objects having a width that is much larger than the height, and/or graphical objects with a height much larger than the width are difficult to display as thumbnails. Generally, resizing (such as shrinking) such graphical objects results in a thumbnail preview occupying the grid only partially and a major portion of the cell being occupied with blank or white space. For example, a thumbnail preview of graphical object with a height much larger than width, leaves a major part along the width of a cell of the grid to be occupied with blank or white space. At the same time, the size of the graphical object may be reduced to a high degree, which may cause difficulty in viewing the graphical object within the thumbnail cell. Therefore, such conventional thumbnail previews do not provide an effective visualization of graphical objects in the grid.
Accordingly, there exists a need for an improved method and apparatus for displaying graphical objects in a grid within a graphical user interface.